Chapter 164 What’s the word? Know it well?
While the south of the Yangtze River was in turmoil, the undercurrent in the capital became even more turbulent. Overnight, several officials were ordered to be confined to their palaces, including the Prince Chen's Palace.
The person who carried out this order was Jiang Jie, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
Late at night, the lights in Prince Chen's mansion were on brightly. Princess Chen sat on a chair in the courtyard, her expression neither humble nor arrogant: "Sir Jiang, the emperor's decree is to seal the mansion, what are you doing?"
"My princess, the other officials are indeed only sealed, but the Chen Palace is under the supervision and protection of the Ministry of Justice."
The implication is that Prince Chen's Mansion has been put under guard.
When the officers and soldiers entered the house, flames shot up to the sky, and the women in the backyard were so frightened that they dared not come out.
Although Princess Chen looked solemn, her heart was already in turmoil. Originally, she was ordered by Prince Chen to rush to the He family, but she was not the real daughter of the He family and could not show up.
Later, Prince Chen's plan changed, and he ordered people to send her back to the capital. To put it bluntly, he kept her as a hostage under the emperor's nose to buy him more time.
She had thought about today's scene earlier. Once Prince Chen failed, it would not be as simple as sealing the mansion.
The guard at the gate came to report: "My Lord, there is a message from the city gate saying that the troops escorting Pei Chong have entered the capital."
"Okay, got it."
Upon hearing this, Princess Chen tightened her grip on the handkerchief. The reason why Prince Chen spared Pei Chong's life was because he saw that he still had some talent in leading troops.
Now that he has been captured, the situation of King Chen... is probably not optimistic.
**
After Ruan Xiaoyue arrived in Beijing, she couldn't wait to return to the Ruan family. Everyone in the Ruan family was relieved to see her return safely.
Zhou Yunzhi held her hand and said, "My child, you have suffered a lot along the way."
"Aunt, Xiaoyue should atone for the mistakes she made. Fortunately, Pei Chong was captured this time, and this disaster is over." Ruan Xiaoyue wiped her tears and said, "Aunt, don't worry. My sister is at my grandfather's house in Jiangnan. Miss Zhou and Mr. Feng are engaged. I think she should come back after they get married."
Zhou Yunzhi had already received a letter from her mother's family. Her niece was getting married, which was a happy event and she was very happy.
Zheng Qiaohui stood behind the crowd, not daring to step forward. The mother and daughter looked at each other, as if they had a thousand words to say, yet they seemed as distant as if there were thousands of mountains and rivers between them.
At night, Ruan Xiaoyue returned to the courtyard of the second house and came to her parents' door. She hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.
Zheng Qiaohui opened the door and saw her daughter. Her eyes reddened and she pulled her into the room: "Come in quickly, let me see you."
The Pei family is committing treason, which shows that Pei Chong's previous behavior was all an act. In fact, he is a cruel and ruthless person. Zheng Qiaohui cannot stop her daughter from going to Jiangnan, so she has to let her go.
She hasn't had a good night's sleep since she left, and even if she does fall asleep, she will have nightmares.
All I could see in my dreams was her pale and haggard appearance when she committed suicide.
Ruan Chenglin sighed: "It's good to be back."
"Mom, where are Xiaoyue and Qingchi?"
"Xiaoyue has been helping your aunt run the family business lately, so she sometimes comes home late. As for Qingchi, he stays at the Prime Minister's Residence two out of three days, and he and Zimo are getting closer and closer to the point where they are inseparable."
Ruan Xiaoyue nodded: "Xiaoyue is thoughtful, it would be good for her to learn business management from her aunt."
Zheng Qiaohui: "Don't worry, your aunt said that if Pei Chong is arrested, our family will not be implicated. You can stay at home and learn business with your aunt. If you meet the right person in the future, you can..."
"Mom, I just came to see you and Dad. Although Pei Chong has been caught, the situation in Jiangnan is still unclear. I don't want to think about other things until the dust settles."
Ruan Chenglin shouted, "The child just came back, why are you saying this?"
After talking to them for a while, Ruan Xiaoyue returned to her room.
**
After taking a break from his marriage, Minister Jiang changed his previous nonchalant attitude and took personal action on the case of treason with great force, causing a stir in the capital and making the court officials tremble with fear.
Pei Chong was sent to prison, and everyone felt that this was a tough nut to crack.
But under Jiang Jie's interrogation, Pei Chong's mouth was opened on the third day.
Although Pei Chong did not hold a high official position, he was once a tough guy in the army and was known for his ruthlessness.
But in front of Jiang Jie, a thin civil servant, he could not survive the third trial, which shows how cruel his methods were.
In prison, Pei Chong was covered in blood after being tortured, his hair was disheveled, and his scapula on both shoulders were pierced, causing him to faint from the pain.
Jiang Jie patiently looked at the testimony presented by the recorder.
The recorder wiped his sweat and said, "Sir, these are enough for him to die ten times."
"Not enough. There are still matters concerning Qizhou and Suzhou that have not been explained." After saying this, he gave the executioner a wink.
Recorder: “…”
The torture is going to continue!
Pei Chong woke up after a basin of cold water was poured over him. The piercing pain made him dare not move. How could he look like the glorious man he used to be in his wolfish state?
The voice was weak and hoarse: "Jiang Jie, I have told you everything I know... just give me a quick death."
Jiang Jie stood up, brushed off his official uniform, walked slowly to him, stretched out his hand and grabbed the chain on his scapula: "You want to die? General Pei is such a powerful figure, how can I let you die so easily?"
After saying that, he pulled hard, and Pei Chong's painful roar echoed in the prison, making people tremble with fear.
The recorder standing by was sweating profusely, and his hand holding the pen couldn't help shaking, not daring to put it down.
It’s better not to remember this sentence.
I knew that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was ruthless, but I had never seen it with my own eyes.
Because he was ultimately a civil servant, most of the torture was done by his subordinates, and he could only speak a few words at most.
But when I saw it today, I no longer had those thoughts.
He is not only cruel, he is downright vicious!
Since Pei Chong was thrown into prison, he has fallen into a cycle of waking up and dizzy. First, the tendons of his hands and feet were picked, and he was tortured with irons, and even his scapula was tortured. All these torture instruments were done by the Minister himself.
Pei Chong breathed in pain: "I don't know anything else."
"I don't know?" Jiang Jie nodded: "In that case, let me remind you, how about that?"
After saying that, he clapped his hands.
Two officers came in escorting a woman who was pregnant and terrified. When she saw Pei Chong tied to the rack, she almost fainted on the spot.
"Husband...Husband, save me..."
Pei Chong came to his senses after hearing the word "husband". He looked up in surprise and said, "Why are you... here..."
He had clearly placed people in Qizhou, and the reason he refused to give out Prince Chen was because he was afraid that she would be implicated.
The woman held her belly, her face pale, and said, "King Qi, we are defeated."
Pei Chong: “…”
Jiang Jie turned around, and as he passed the torture table, he picked up a long whip and walked towards her.
Pei Chong saw this and shouted: "Jiang Jie, she doesn't know anything, come at me..."
Her belly contained the last bloodline of the Pei family. Pei Chong became so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Jiang Jie sneered and whipped her belly: "What's the word? Knowing everything?"
"I want to open her belly and see if there is really something hidden inside."
With a snap, the recorder's pen fell to the ground.
Pei Chong was scared: "I said, I will tell you everything you want to know, but you have to let her go."
Jiang Jie smiled evilly and said, "It all depends on Master Pei's performance."
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